Program

Program quality

The Learning Academy's consideration of the needs and interests of the families we serve prompts the desire for high quality standards. The attributes of our program have been well planned through our program's goals and objectives.

The Learning Academy participates in the Star-Quality Child Care Program. This program recognizes child care providers who meet a higher standard of quality. Once qualified for this program, providers can receive one, two, or three stars to place on their license. Each star shows that a provider meets increasingly higher standards. In other words, the more stars a program has, the better the quality of care it offers to children.

The Learning Academy also participates in high-quality assessments through NECPA Accreditation; our program is enhanced through the higher standards set in these assessments. These practices are designed to help us achieve many objectives in the areas of space and furnishing, personal care routines, learning activities, language-reasoning, interactions, curriculum, health and safety, physical environment, assessment of child's progress, relationships, ongoing professional development with teachers, and program structure.


Program for every age

With full and part-time learning programs for children, The Learning Academy can accommodate every family. Our programs are age and developmentally appropriate. The Learning Academy recognizes that children learn best through hands-on experiences and through responsive, nurturing teachers. Our program is designed to offer interactive opportunities and to meet the needs of the whole child.
Infant/Toddler Program
    Infant Classroom: 6 weeks to 15 months
    Toddler Classroom: 12-24 months
    Two's Classroom: 24-35 months
Preschool Program
    Preschool Classroom: 3-4 years
Pre-Kindergarten Program
    Pre-K Classroom: 4-5 years
We encourage children to be active and creative explorers who are not afraid to try out their ideas and to think their own thoughts. Our goal is to help children become independent, self-confident, inquisitive learners. We allow them to learn at their own pace and in the ways that are best for them.




Morning Group Time/Circle Time

Morning Group Time/Circle Time is an anticipated start to the day. The teachers and children have the opportunity to connect with each other in a close, comfortable group setting. The teachers cover certain criteria during circle time to set the stage for a day of interactive learning. Criteria examples include color and shape concepts for toddlers, letter and number concepts for preschoolers.


Pre-Kindergarten Readiness

The pre-kindergarten program at The Learning Academy incorporates interest areas combined with Kindergarten preparation activities both individually and as a group to insure that each child has a solid foundation to be prepared for Kindergarten. The influence of dedicated teachers and a specialized curriculum brings success to the children we graduate to Kindergarten.


Curriculum

The Creative Curriculum for Early Childhood is used in our program.

The philosophy behind our curriculum of choice is that young children learn best by doing. It requires active thinking and experimenting. The most important goal of our early childhood curriculum is to help children become enthusiastic learners.

The curriculum identifies goals in all areas of development: Social, Emotional, Cognitive and Physical. Every classroom has its own age appropriate goals and criteria to maximize the development and happiness of each individual child. Our use of studies through Creative Curriculum is exciting and fun for the children. It enhances every child's self-esteem through special teaching techniques, wonderful learning activities and interesting discoveries.

The teachers develop their weekly lesson plans with the assistance of TN-ELDS (Tennessee Early Learning Developmental Standards). These standards are paralleled with Common Core Standards for Kindergarten for our Pre-Kindergarten classroom.




Assessment of Child Progress

Ongoing assessments are taken by the teaching staff to monitor each child's development and learning. Parents are given written assessments during the year and are able to measure the growth of their child in each assessment area.


Family Events

Families at The Learning Academy enjoy meeting together to share in fun times with their children. Open houses, in house field trips, family picnics, Holiday parties, Thanksgiving luncheons, Christmas programs all bring together the opportunity for parents to be involved with the center and other families. The children enjoy having their parents participate in classroom activities


Meals

At The Learning Academy we understand the importance of nutrition. Young children need a well-balanced meal to promote healthy growth and a pleasant disposition. Our trained cook prepares a morning snack, hot lunch and afternoon snack each day for the children. These meals are carefully planned according to Meal Guidelines from the CACFP under the USDA Food and Nutrition Service to meet the nutritional requirements of children up to the age of 5.


Physical Features

L Design
    Our building has a unique design in that the hallway is an L design giving more security in accessibility to children.

Separate Classrooms
    Each classroom is separated from other classrooms to create unique learning environments and to reduce possible distractions.

Monitoring Capabilities
    Classroom Viewing Windows, located in the walls that divide classrooms from the hallway, can be used as viewing windows to allow constant, discreet monitoring of children, teachers and visitors at any time.
    Surveillance Cameras, located throughout the building and playground, allows constant security monitoring of children, parents, teachers and visitors in the classrooms, playground and other areas of the building.